LANDOVER, Md. -- Browns running back Duke Johnson held the ball high above his head after his fourth-quarter fumble while line judge Sarah Thomas continued to look for it in the pile.

She ultimately awarded the recovery to the Redskins, and the call withstood an automatic review. An NFL spokesman said nothing was definitive on the replay as to who recovered it.

"I thought I recovered it,'' said Johnson. "But at the end of the day, I can't fumble.''

It was the middle of three straight second-half turnovers by the Browns on successive drives that resulted in a 31-20 loss to the Redskins after the Browns blew a 20-17 third-quarter lead. And after they had stormed back from a 14-0 first-quarter deficit. The Browns lost the turnover battle 3-1, and thus the game.

The first was a fumble by fullback Malcolm Johnson at the Washington 14 on his first-ever carry later in the third quarter with the Browns clinging to their lone lead. The third was a Cody Kessler interception, by cornerback Josh Norman on a pass intended for Terrelle Pryor with 6:28 left in the game.

The Redskins, who came into the game first in the NFL with six forced fumbles, scored TDs off No. 1 and No. 3 to put the game away. It left the Browns at 0-4 and the only winless team in the NFL.

And although the first of those fumbles, Malcolm Johnson's, was more costly than Duke's, it was the latter that had the Browns rankled during and after the game.

"Oh it's frustration, but when the official tells you it's already been reviewed and it's their ball, there's nothing I can do,'' coach Hue Jackson said. "I can yell and scream and do whatever, but it's not going to change the call.''

Pryor was so miffed after the call he whipped off his helmet on the sidelines and shouted some expletives. After the game, he declined to talk to reporters. The Browns were already robbed of one chance at a victory over the Ravens in Week 2 when Pryor was erroneously called for taunting at the end of the game.

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"Long story short, I shouldn't put the refs in position to make that call anyway,'' said Johnson, who rushed for 53 yards on nine carries. "I should've had the ball. I should've held onto it and that would've been that. We wouldn't have been sitting here now."

Duke Johnson's strip came after a 5-yard run to the Washington 45 with the Browns trailing 24-20 and 9:32 remaining. They had been running all over the Redskins -- to the tune of 163 yards including 112 by Isaiah Crowell -- and a touchdown on that drive was within reach. Instead, the Redskins recovered at their 43. They didn't score off the fumble, but neither did the Browns.

"We were getting hot,'' said Duke, who was being checked for a concussion on the sidelines when Malcolm fumbled. "We were doing what we said we wanted to do. We were doing it and had a bad break. You can't turn the ball over."

Jackson acknowledged the Johnson was waiving the ball like a trophy over his head while the ref was still searching for it.

"Yeah, he did,'' he said. "And (Thomas), she goes 'They had already looked upstairs and confirmed it was a fumble and their ball.' I mean, it was a huge play in the game, but, hey, they called it and we can't let the ball die. You know, we just can't turn it over so, at some point you know we put the officials even in that spot, we should be holding onto the ball."

Explained left tackle Joe Thomas: "She came in the huddle and said 'I saw the Redskins defense with the ball on the ground, meaning the play was over and then the ball switched hands after that.' I guess that's one of those things where they go with whatever was called on the field.''

An NFL spokesman said in an email: "The on-field ruling was a fumble, recovered by Washington. It was confirmed as a fumble in instant replay without the need to stop the game. As to the recovery, several different angles were looked at, but with nothing definitive shown, there was no need to stop the game because the on-field ruling that awarded possession to Washington would have stood.''

If the review clearly shows it was awarded to the wrong team, it can be overturned. But the available angles are inconclusive. A couple of Washington defenders look like they may have fallen on the ball, but Johnson quickly came out with it.

Said Kessler, who was 28-of-40 for 223 yards with one touchdown and one interception: "I looked back and I saw a bunch of a guys jumping on the ball, and then within half a second Duke stood up and held it up with his hand. And I think the ref was still trying to find out where the ball was and Duke was yelling at me, 'It's right here, hey, I've got it right here.' And unfortunately the call didn't go our way."

Look, Duke fumbled but then clearly recovered it. There is obviously no ball beneath that pile. Because Duke grabbed it and stood up with it pic.twitter.com/Ay4i3u5sEo

Johnson said the officials never conferred with him about what happened.

"No, they actually didn't,'' he said. "I had the ball and I was under the assumption we were going 'Browns ball.' They had a conversation among themselves and made the call."

Is there any way Washington recovered before you ended up standing with it.

"Is there any way? Not to my knowledge,'' he said. "(But) I won't say we can't catch a break because we had a break today. The defense did their job, caused turnovers and we just can't turn the ball over."

"It's very tough. Down 14, came back tied it up, came up, came out of halftime we're finally doing what we came in the locker room and talked about, just didn't finish the game."